Man gets 14 years, 22 strokes of cane for raping Facebook friend

His grandmother was home when he lured his Malaysian Facebook friend to their Tampines flat. But her presence did not deter Yap Jun Cheng from raping the 20-year-old in his bedroom.

The victim cried for help but got no response from the older woman in the March 4, 2013, incident.

Yap, 26, was yesterday sentenced to 14 years' jail and 22 strokes of the cane after pleading guilty to three sexual offences.

The unemployed Singaporean admitted that he raped, sexually penetrated and molested the woman, who is now 24.

In 2011, the victim accepted Yap's friend request on Facebook and they communicated sporadically online. In February 2013, she decided to look for a job in Singapore and contacted Yap via Facebook to ask for his help.

Yap, then a full-time national serviceman with the Singapore Civil Defence Force, met her at Paya Lebar MRT station in uniform on March 4 and took her to his home, saying he wanted to change out of his uniform.

There, Yap pulled her into his bedroom, locked the door and professed his affection for her.

When she tried to get away, he used so much strength to pull her away from the door knob that it broke off, trapping her.

Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) David Khoo said she called out to Yap's grandmother but got no response. Court documents did not say why the woman, now 76, did not react.

Yap then molested and raped his victim. When he was done, he told her he would kill her.

DPP Khoo said: "The victim was extremely frightened. She set herself to do whatever it was that she had to do to leave the room alive, no matter how degrading or abhorrent."

Yap made her perform oral sex on him. Later, his grandmother left the flat.

When the victim told him she was hungry, he asked her to cook. But Yap did not let her dress herself from the waist down as she prepared the meal. He granted her requests to cover up after she was nearly scalded.

DPP Khoo said she stopped cooking when she felt nauseous and told Yap she could take her gastric medication only after she had food. He then agreed to take her out to eat.

"The victim began to feel that she had some hope of leaving the flat alive," DPP Khoo said.

Yap raped her another time before they left.

After eating at Bedok, he went with her to Boon Lay MRT station where he left her.

Back in Malaysia, she told a relative about her ordeal. They returned to lodge a police report.

DPP Khoo urged Judicial Commissioner Pang Khang Chau to jail Yap for at least 16 years, as the victim was "highly traumatised".